3.18.2011

Is Boston's Best Burger at The Fat Cat?

Okay, technically this spot isn't in Boston, it's a hop, skip and a jump away in nearby Quincy. So what to make of The Fat Cat? For starters, it's a narrow spot that is roughly half bar and half dining room. With exposed brick walls and a giant cat boldly painted on the back wall near the exposed kitchen, it's an unfussy and casual setting that offers typical pub fare with the addition of some thoughtful ingredients and options.

When it comes to their burger ($8 + $0.50 a topping), I liked the variety of toppings that we were presented with and was particularly excited at the prospect of a manchego smothered burger, an option that is unfortunately not all that common when it comes to burgers. (Why is that, by the way?) In addition to the manchego, I also selected the caramelized red onions and as usual, I ordered my burger medium rare with fries.

For the price, the burger was generously portioned. On the thicker side, the meat itself could have been seasoned a little better and was cooked more on the medium side than the medium-rare I had requested but it still had a pretty decent amount of pink in the center. Not a total tragedy, I've certainly experienced much worse. Regarding the cheese (obviously an extremely important topic) I was disappointed as it was minimally gracing the top of my burger and barely detectable. In addition, the caramelized onions were not red onions as advertised however they were still perfectly caramelized and provided a sweet addition nonetheless.

Getting to the fries, they were average, not bad but nothing particularly memorable about them either. They still had their skins clinking to them, a feature I particularly like because I think you get more of that great potato flavor. They could have been a little more evenly salted but they were still enjoyable.

Overall, for a dressed up burger at a mere $9, this is a good value but not something I'd make a point of going out of my way to get, but on the flip side, I'd have it again if I find myself in Quincy.

8 comments:

You have to go back and get the fried pickles!!! I actually live right around the corner from Fat Cat, and while I've never had the burger (I can't pass up the mac & cheese -- which is HUGE by the way), I have a soft spot in my heart for them because of those dang pickles that keep drawing me back. The dipping sauce that comes with the pickles is fantastic too. And they usual have good local beer on tap. Pickles and beer are a good dinner, right? :)

Funny you say that, I have a friend who swears by their pickles and also their nachos. I was a little disappointed with their burger but my soft spot for a good mac and cheese will prevail! And yes, pickles and beer are a great dinner in my book. It's a vegetable (well, fruit I guess) so that makes it healthy, right?

Fat Cat Fried Pickles and BBQ Pork Nachos = YUM! I have not tried the burgers, but usually fill up on the appies and martinis. Maybe they will read your post and decide that more cheese is ALWAYS better and stick to presenting what is on the menu, i.e. caramelized red onion?

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Private Chef, Caterer and Food Writer, co-owner of The Skinny Beet. Self proclaimed food-geek and lover of all things Boston, cooking up original and creative recipes from my wicked Small Boston Kitchen.
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